The Heart of the Mountain
by DisOfErebor
Summary: When they first meet they are still children unaware that their paths of life are meant to cross again. When they meet again she is meant to get married and to become mother of the kingdom's heirs. When she loses everything they realize what one always meant to the other. When her brother wants to reclaim an ancient kingdom they get torn apart again...


**Disclaimer: **

**I do neither own the characters and storylines of J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful novel nor of Peter Jackson's breathtaking movies.  
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**All I own are the storylines I invented by myself and the characterization of Lady Dis as I see her.**

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**This story is dedicated to this one single person who is able to inspire you like no one else will ever be able to...**

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**Prologue:**

"Milady! The King ordered us to keep any visitor from his rooms tonight."

The armed guard cleared his throat and added while he stared at me apologetically: "Means any visitor, including his family and his confidants."

Stepping in my way when I entered the corridor leading to my brother's study he looked unhappy and it was not to overlook that he seemed to feel really uncomfortable within this moment.

At least that was what the expression shown upon his face told me when I stopped in front of him.

"Any visitor", I asked unwilling to accept this short and duteous explanation.

"I am sorry, milady. These are my orders." The guard stepped inwardly from one foot to the other not sure what to do.

On any other day it would have amused me but not in this late evening. Tired and not in the mood for a meaningless discussion like this I cocked my head and frowned: "So, what are we supposed to do now? Do you really want to prove to me that you are one of my brother's true and loyal guards? By restraining me from entering his rooms?"

The guard's eyes widened, but when he opened his mouth to give me a reply I added slightly indignant: "Don't make an effort! You won't deter me from entering my brother's study! Step out of my way! Immediately!"

I did not wait for an answer but pushed past the surprised guard and rushed through the corridor straight towards the chamber at its end not willing to pay attention to any order my brother gave tonight.

What I came to know earlier that day justified my anger and the want to talk to my brother equal if he wanted company or not.

Therefore I inhaled a deep breath, told myself that I owned any right to be here and opened the heavy door leading to his study.

The room was as sparsely furnished as I remembered it when it still was the study of my grandfather.

Long ago when he decided to make these halls our home, long before he fell in battle…

Long before he fell in battle as so many others of our folk…

Our halls were settled in the outermost North-West of Middle Earth, in Eriador. They lay within the Ered Luin deep under the Blue Mountains and they were my home even if the elder used to tell me and others of my age that these halls would never become a real home to the exiled dwarves of Erebor.

Erebor! The lost Kingdom! The Dwarven fortress under the Lonely Mountain! Home of my kin and my ancestors…

But nothing more as a fading memory, a tale of bygone times, a bedtime-story to me.

I was much too young to remember any detail of that day when the dragon, Smaug, the Golden, claimed Erebor and the hidden treasure and when my proud folk got forced to take flight. Humiliated, frightened, robbed of everything except their lives and what they were able to grab within a moment of desperation and pure horror.

I got told so many stories about the horror of that day, about the reputed betrayal the Elves of Greewood under their King Thranduil committed against us that I had no other choice than to believe in them. But I never became that filled with bitterness or even hatred as lots of others became during the years we had to spend in exile until we found shelter within our new built halls in the Blue Mountains.

My grandfather was obsessed by the thought to reclaim our lost Kingdom and the treasure…

And he was obsessed by the thought to regain the Arkenstone – the Heart of the Mountain, the King's Jewel as he used to name it.

But his hopes and dreams betrayed him. There was no way back to the Lonely Mounatin and to our lost halls. The dragon would never return the treasure to us and this meant it would never return our home to us.

Realizing this, my grandfather made an effort to return to the ancient kingdom of Moria, the great halls of Khazad-dum, but again his fierce dream failed. Orcs had claimed the halls and the mines and during one of many battles my grandfather died, slain by a pale Gundabad Orc.

My father never got over this loss and he swore himself an oath to get done what got denied to my grandfather, leading our folk back to Erebor, but he never returned home from his long search.

I sighed when I slowly closed the door, lifting my gaze to behold the hope of our kin:

My brother, the rightful follower of our father and grandfather, Lord of the halls of Ered Luin and rightful King of Erebor.

My brother – Thorin II. Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, legitimate heir of Durin, the prime father of our kin.

He was that deep in thoughts that he not even noticed me entering the study and so I watched him for a while, feeling my anger ebbing away.

Thorin was handsome, as most of the members of our family, with his clear blue eyes and his well-proportioned and sharp features. But the smile which so often enlightened his face when we still had been young and unburdened by duties and losses had vanished. Too seldom it returned to his lips and if it did it did not reach his eyes. Several grey strands had mingled into his once deep black hair and he still wore his beard as short as he used to wear it since Erebor fell. He had changed and I wasn't sure if he himself had actually noticed it…

Since a couple of months it seemed having gotten worse. More and more often he buried himself in his study or went away travelling all around Middle Earth, leaving me behind, burdened with all his duties.

He let me in to some of his thoughts and plans but never to all of them and sometimes he left his halls and returned without letting me know.

I knew what it was, troubling his mind: Erebor! The Lonely Mountain! And Smaug!

He searched for a way to get back what he took for being rightfully his and so he searched for allies willing to support and to accompany him, but whenever he returned from such meetings he got more and more sternly and close-lipped.

Until that day when he told me he would head for the mountain no matter the cost and no matter if related clans would grant him their help or not. He already had found a handful of adventurous and battle-tested companions who were willing to follow him wherever he would lead them. All he wanted to do before he would join them was to travel to the Iron Mountains to ask our cousin for help – Dain!

But it was neither his planned quest which let me flare up and which left me that angry that I not even cared about his guard nor was it the fact that he wanted to involve Dain Ironfoot into this adventure.

No!

Rumour said he had in mind to take my sons with him and that I was not willing to accept…

I inhaled another deep breath and straightened then I cleared my throat and said: "May I have a word, brother?"

It needed a while until he realized that he was not alone any more.

The hint of anger darkening his eyes for a moment disappeared the same moment when he recognized me and gave way for honest surprise: "Dis?"

I gave him a nod and replied: "Thorin!"

"What are you doing here at this hour? Are you not supposed to rest?"

"Rest? How could I rest when rumour spreads all around your halls that Fili and Kili will accompany you!"

"It was not my wish, sister", he answered, lowering his gaze back to the chart which lay in front of him.

I stared at him in disbelief: "So it is true then? You will take them with you on this quest or however you want to name this madness?"

"They begged me more than once and who am I to deny this to them?"

"You are their uncle! You raised them because their father got slain in battle! I thought you know how this feels!"

"I know as well as you!"

"So, is it not enough then, that we already lost half of our family to dragons, madness, Orcs and grief? Do you really have to take them back to Erebor? To do what? Hunting for a dream?"

"A dream our father and grandfather dreamt!"

"Yes, indeed, the dream both of them dreamt and which cost us both of their lives!"

"There is no proof that our father is dead!"

"There is no proof that he is still alive!"

Thorin raised his gaze and stared at me: "I won't tell them to stay behind!"

I did not turn my gaze away when I responded: "And I won't give this quest my blessing if you take them along with you!"

"They are eager to fight!"

"Are they eager to die as well?"

"They won't die!"

"You're hardly able to guarantee this!"

"I'm not, that's true…"

"Then let them stay!"

"They are no dwarflings any more, Dis! They are trained for battle and they are clever little rascals…"

"Yes, they are. They are eager to prove to you that they are worth to become your heirs some day!"

"Would you argue about this as well if it would be their father who would take them to a quest like this?"

I did not answer.

It was a question I wasn't able to answer, a question I did not want to answer…and Thorin knew this very well…

I kept silent for a while and the only sound to hear was the silent sizzling coming from the fireplace. After a while I turned on my heels and headed for the door.

Before I left I turned round again and said: "Mahal may be with you, brother. You know Fili and Kili will follow you to which end ever, but don't let this treasure and this quest become more important to you than their lives. This applies also for those who will accompany you. They are loyal to you, being your friends, your family or your brothers-in-arms, but never take a treasure worthier than them!"

With it I rushed out of the door, slammed it shut and ran down the corridors, feeling my eyes tear up. I hurried through the hallways until somebody grabbed me by my wrist and forced me to stop.

I wanted to free myself from out of this firm grip, but I gave in when I stared into a pair of grey eyes watching me the same concerned and confused.

"What's on your mind, lass, running to and fro your brother's halls?"

Dwalin!

I did not think about curious eyes which may possibly have watched us or about rumours which may get spread but hurled myself into his arms not able any more to restrain my tears from falling.

I cried until I had no tears left and before he could ask what was wrong, all I said was: "He takes my lads with him…"


End file.
